40. The First Imperial Princess’s Resolve
On the northernmost continent, the Sun Empire Sonne-Impero lay in a harsh climatic zone. Yet the warm currents of the Arctic Ocean brought a mild climate, and its fertile black soil of Kamuto supported one of the continent’s most beautiful nations.
Thanks to the energetic colonization and land reclamation begun three hundred years earlier by the current Glünewald Dynasty, a vast grain-producing region now stretched around the royal capital. Bards visiting the land sang of a heavenly palace rising above the golden sea of wheat blown by the west wind.
The re-enslavement system established through colonization turned grain and slaves into the main export. Rock salt mined with their labor was shipped to the southern port-city states, building immense wealth.
After the late Emperor’s death, the empire remained unshaken. The Princess Knight Order led by the undefeated Princess Knight Charlotte, and the beautiful regent Queen Catherine inside the palace, stood like pillars of light. That was true—until the Revolutionary Army of the Republic appeared.
The songs that had once celebrated three hundred years of the Glünewald Dynasty were now drowned out by words of ruin and despair.
From across the distant sea, the Revolutionary Army first conquered the Duchy of Borden, using it as a foothold. Riding the wave of slave uprisings, they broke the border with a tiny force and raced straight for the imperial capital.
Using strange battle wagons they called “tanks,” they shattered the Empire’s strongest Princess Knight Order in a single strike. The beautiful twin princess sisters Charlotte and Jeanne were captured in the blink of an eye.
The Imperial Guard and the Amazon female warriors directly under the Empress fought desperately, but the tanks’ cannon fire smashed the city gates. Knights in full plate were slaughtered helplessly by the Republic’s automatic rifles and rocket launchers. Yet some still stood firm.
“Take this—!”
A crimson-haired girl’s kick, powered by a blood-curdling battle cry, slammed into a Republic soldier’s face. He tumbled down the narrow staircase with a pathetic scream. In such confined corridors, friendly fire was a danger, so even the Republic’s prized automatic rifles were useless.
“Come on then! I, this Scarlet, will not let a single finger touch your Mother Catherine or your Elder Sister Sophia!”
Her burning eyes blazed. At sixteen, the Fourth Princess and tomboyish Princess Scarlet was already the captain of the palace girls’ guard and a master of martial arts.
“Princess Scarlet-sama, the enemy attack is concentrated on the North Tower. We should escape through the secret passage beneath it.”
Silver-haired loyal maid Flare knelt and reported.
“Abandon Mother and Elder Sister in the rear palace to save yourself? I cannot do such a thing.”
Flare’s amethyst eyes were filled with sorrow, yet her voice was firm.
“Princess Scarlet-sama, I know how painful it is to abandon the royal family and the capital. But Princesses have an important mission entrusted to them by the Queen. Have you forgotten it?”
Scarlet’s hand pressed against the silk cloth covering the small package hidden in her bosom.
“That jade seal is the proof of imperial succession. As long as the jade seal and the royal bloodline remain, the dynasty will not fall. I know full well that this is an insult, but I beg you to understand my resolve. If the jade seal and Princess Scarlet-sama are safe, the Republic’s villains will not dare to touch Her Majesty Catherine or Queen Sophia. Please make your decision.”
Scarlet once more looked back toward the rear palace.
“Mother, Elder Sister… I will save you someday. Until then, please be safe!”
Scarlet ran out of the palace with a heavy heart. Yet the princess who was completely consumed by the fate of the empire and the royal family never once worried about the lives of the common people. As long as the royal family was safe, that was enough. She did not realize that this attitude was one of the reasons the slave uprising had begun.
She would soon pay the price for her arrogance.
But for now, let us stay inside the palace. While Scarlet and Flare disappeared into the underground passage, the battle for the capital was drawing to a close.
Most of the magnificent palace had already fallen into Republican hands. Sporadic resistance continued, but the outcome was obvious to everyone. In the ornate audience hall, the First Imperial Princess Sophia stood alone, bravely facing the invaders.
Eighteen years old, she had long golden hair reaching her waist and beautiful sky-blue sapphire eyes like the depths of the sea. Her elegant movements and refined grace marked her as a true princess.
She wore a silk dress embroidered with gold and silver thread. Beneath it, her body was slender, yet her twin breasts were so full and plump that they were clearly visible even over the fabric. She herself felt self-conscious about her bust, but the breasts were not only large—they were perfectly shaped.
“Princess, please escape! It’s already—!”
A female soldier staggered in and collapsed, blood spraying from her back. The red stain spread across the carpet.
“Oh dear. Who shot that? Women are precious resources—don’t kill them unless you absolutely have to.”
The speaker was a tall man with yellow skin and a flat face, followed by armed soldiers.
“Sorry, Captain. He kept calling us lowly commoners, so I got mad.”
“Well, that’s fine. By the way, First Princess Sophia, it’s my pleasure to meet you. I am Kakuda Kazuo, a man who has been summoned from another world.”
“Kakuda… Kazuo?”
Sophia had never heard such a strange name.
“If you find it hard to pronounce, call me Kutta or Kuda. But seriously, Your Highness, your chest is so big.”
Walking toward her like a beast licking its lips at prey, he spoke mockingly.
“You monster! Don’t come any closer!”
“Aw, how cruel. For royal family members it’s one thing, but for me… why should I care? In my old world, this is called discrimination. Actually, when the internet spread, the ironic thing is that discrimination also spread. So… won’t you comfort us, the ones who were disappointed with the old world and reincarnated here? With that splendid body of yours.”
Kakuda advanced, eyes glowing with madness. Sophia drew the short dagger Dolch hidden in her bosom and pointed it at him, trembling.
“Hmph. You think a child’s toy can stop us?”
“If you come any closer, I will die right here.”
Sophia bravely pressed the dagger’s tip to her own throat.
“So you would choose death over losing your virginity? Quite the proud thought for a princess of a great empire. But is that acceptable? If the princess were to take her own life, someone else would have to take your place.”
“Wha—…”
Sophia was momentarily speechless.
“Your mother Queen Catherine is thirty-five. Hmm… I’m not really into milfs, but I guess I’ll have to use her as a stand-in. Or should I use your little sister Scarlet? ‘Stop it, what are you doing to me!’—that kind of pointless resistance is always the most entertaining. Hehe. Don’t worry. Big brother will take good care of you ♡”
“You cowardly—”
“I don’t care what you call me. So, what do you want? Shall I turn you into a mother-and-daughter orgy?”
Sophia bit her lip until it bled. Then, with the resolve to spit blood, she spoke.
“Very well. Do as you wish with my body. But I swear upon the names of the Great God Odin and the Sun God Aton that the safety of my mother and sister—yes, all the imperial family—will be guaranteed.”
“Fine. I swear upon the gods you named that I will protect every imperial life (of course not guaranteeing their chastity ♡).”
Sophia placed the dagger on the floor, knelt on one knee, and obediently showed her submission. Kakuda looked down at her with cold eyes.
(She’s not a member of the imperial family, but she’s still begging for the common people’s safety. I thought she might be pardoned for that. But these people are nothing but ants crawling on the ground to us. Perfect. Let’s give her the arrogance she deserves.)
In Kakuda’s eyes, hatred and lust burned fiercely.